Designed for compression/metering stations, gas or hydrogen storage facilities, FPSOs, and LNG facilities, General Monitors' Observer-i—marketed in France by FT Mesures—is the world's first ultrasonic gas leak detector equipped with an artificial neural network (ANN), a real-time broadband sound processing technology. This technology is based on extensive research and real-world recordings of the sounds emitted during a gas leak, as well as background noise from a wide range of industrial sources over many years.
The ANN algorithm has been “trained” according to these recordings to automatically distinguish between unwanted background noise
and dangerous gas leaks. As a result, the Observer-i is able to analyze the entire sound spectrum from just 12 kHz, particularly because it no longer uses common high-pass filters. The
leak detection range is thus wider, which:
- increases sensitivity to minimal gas leaks without the risk of interference from unwanted background noise,
- allows the sensor to be installed without time-consuming adjustment sequences,
- offers unparalleled remote detection in the industry, with unprecedented elimination of false alarms.
In addition, the Observer-i offers the user a consistent gas leak detection coverage radius in both noisy and quiet areas.
The device does not require any configuration of alarm settings or threshold levels. Similarly, these alarm settings do not need to be readjusted if background ultrasound increases or decreases over time.
The Observer-i features a patented self-test function that checks the electrical integrity of the device and the microphone every 15 minutes,
ensuring that it is working properly at all times. The microphone and its wind-protective cover
are constantly monitored to ensure optimal sensitivity and
coverage radius.
Offshore and onshore oil and gas facilities
Gas compression, metering, and storage stations
Hydrogen sector
LNG sector
Petrochemicals